NEWS
- Volunteers 'Man the Block' to keep DC kids safe [Richard Wright PCS mentioned]
- CHAVOUS: Picking the Best School for Your Child
- Report: Chronic school absenteeism is contributing to academic gaps
Volunteers 'Man the Block' to keep DC kids safe [Richard Wright PCS mentioned]
WUSA*9
By Stephanie Ramirez
August 31, 2015
WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- Dozens of volunteers trying to address the violence in The District, walked the streets of Southeast D.C. to help students get home safe.
The program is called “Man the Block” at Richard Wright Public Charter School.
Volunteers escorted students from the school to their Metro stops in in effort to get them home safely. It is something the school has been doing for several years, but this year officials opened up the program to outside volunteers including city organizations and churches.
Officials said the program is to promote safety, deflect harassment, and detour crime and violence.
Their goal is to protect the students trying to get home, but volunteers said it builds important relationships. The school's founder said the program is aimed mostly at showing Richard Wright students that adults in the community care about them.
The people at Richard Wright are hoping D.C. Public Schools will adopt this program as well.
CHAVOUS: Picking the Best School for Your Child
The Washington Informer
By Kevin P. Chavous
August 31, 2015
One of the most important decisions a parent will make is selecting a school for their child. And when it comes to a child’s needs and learning style, a parent is the one who knows exactly what it takes for their child to be successful. That’s why school choice matters. It empowers a parent to choose the best school for their son or daughter.
By collecting information, talking to other parents, visiting schools, and exercising the right to choose, a parent can take the lead in making sure that their child receives a high-quality education and a positive school experience.
That’s what Sheila Jackson, a long-time DC resident, did for her daughter. She knew that her daughter Shawnee was struggling in middle school, so she applied for a scholarship through DC the Opportunity Scholarship program, a program that provides scholarships to low-income DC children to attend a private school.
“I was so grateful for this scholarship because it afforded me with the opportunity to important factors, like safety, curriculum, staff and school activities into account when selecting the perfect school for my daughter,” said Sheila.
While parents truly know what is best for their children, finding the perfect school can be an intimidating task. Here are just a few items that a parent should consider when looking for the best school fit for their child.
Curriculum – A parent should be able to decide what his or her child is exposed to in the classroom, and understanding the curriculum of a school is a vital aspect of a child’s overall education. Setting up a one-on-one meetings with the principal to get a feel for the school and its’ culture is a critical first step. It is also important to attend open houses and participate in school tours. A parent should always ask the administration and faculty questions about classes and what sort of subjects the school emphasizes.
Parent Involvement – All parents should also explore ways that they can get involved and meet other parents whose children attend the school. Attending a parent-teacher association meeting, frequenting online parent forums that highlight schools in the area and reviewing blogs that provide information about a school from those who know firsthand are just a few suggestions.
Safety of the school – Asking questions about the safety practices of the school and requesting the plans and preparations for emergencies or unexpected events are also important. A parent can even go as far as contacting the local police department to inquire about incidents of violence in the school or the surrounding community as well. Knowing that a child is in a safe environment not only puts a parent’s mind at ease, but also shifts the focus on learning.
Learning Environment - All schools have individual and distinct cultures and learning and teaching philosophies. As well, there are aspects of a child that will affect how a school should teach and interact with them both in and outside of the classroom, including: learning style, motivation, physical and mental health challenges, behavior challenges, learning disabilities, and self-understanding. A parent should take all of these factors into account and closely examine the school’s approach to teaching, learning and testing.
And when it comes to teachers, schools that share best practices, invest in their teachers and provide them with the mentoring and professional development are always best.
For example, Sheila knew that Shawnee performed better in smaller environments, so she ruled out larger schools. Today, Shawnee is a 19-year old college student at St. Augustine’s College, on the dean’s list and still thriving in a small school environment.
Her story proves that if a parent utilizes available resources, then they can and will make the right choice for their child. There are many good resources for parents available online, something Sheila discovered when researching about schools for Shawnee. "You can't be afraid of the internet," Sheila says. "If need be, go to the local library and they can help you get started."
Schooldigger.com is one website that provides a comprehensive overview on available schools, and Greatschools.com is another more comprehensive resource, containing information like school philosophy, test scores, school environment, parent reviews, and even homes for sale in the area. The Picky Parent Guide (pickyparent.com) is another useful guide for parents struggling to find the right school fit for their child. Resources like these, as well as, printed directories from local community and family resource centers provide a wealth of information.
There is no doubt that children benefit tremendously when a parent is actively involved in their education. Not every school works for every child, so it’s important that a parent invest the time to make the right decision, so that their child will strive, thrive and succeed.
“You can’t be shy when checking into schools,” said Sheila. “This is your child, and their future is at stake. Network, do your own research, ask lots of questions and speak to friends, co-workers, and church members and you too can pick a great school for your child!”
Report: Chronic school absenteeism is contributing to academic gaps
The Washington Post
By Emma Brown
August 31, 2015
The nation’s large and persistent education achievement gaps are rooted in a largely hidden crisis of chronic absenteeism from school, especially among low-income and minority children, according to a new report that compiles recent research on school attendance.
School districts tend to focus on truancy, or skipping class. But that focus misses a big part of the problem, according to the report by two nonprofits: Attendance Works, a group that seeks to highlight the connection between attendance and academic success, and the Healthy Schools Campaign.
Absenteeism rates among kindergartners are nearly as high as those among high school freshmen, according to the report. An estimated 1 in 10 kindergartners misses at least 18 days of school, or nearly a month of class, per year.
Many of those absences are excused: Young children often miss school not because they’re skipping class but because they or their parents are suffering from mental or physical health problems.
Fourteen million absences — or one-third of all missed school days — are due to asthma, the leading cause of absenteeism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tooth decay, which is five times more common than asthma, accounts for 2 million missed school days each year.
School districts and states that focus just on unexcused absences might not notice or intervene when a 5-year-old misses class frequently because of ill health. But chronic absence is harmful no matter its cause, the report says.
Kindergartners who are often absent miss critical instruction, especially in reading, making it hard for them to keep up with their peers. That contributes to a cascade of events that lead to a higher risk of dropping out: Attendance, even as early as first grade, can be predictive of graduation rates, according to a 2012 study.
“Poor attendance is among our first and best warning signs that a student has missed the on-ramp to school success and is headed off track for graduation,” the report says. “We must address attendance and its connection to public health early in a child’s life.”
Rhode Island officials tracked a cohort of kindergartners for seven years to discern the effects of chronic absences years later. They discovered that chronically absent 5-year-olds went on to lag their peers in later grades, scoring an average of 20 percentage points lower on reading tests and 25 points lower in math. They also were twice as likely to be retained a grade.
National data on chronic absenteeism among very young children is hard to come by. But the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a nationwide exam for fourth- and eighth-graders, offers a glimpse of troubling patterns.
Students who take the NAEP are asked to report how often they were absent in the month before they took the exam. Nationally, black and Latino students are more likely than white students to report being absent three or more times in that month, and poor children are more likely to be absent frequently than affluent children.
Attendance has improved significantly in some communities that have made concerted efforts to understand and address chronic absenteeism with tactics including in-school health clinics and social workers, according to the report.
In New Britain, Conn., 30 percent of kindergartners were chronically absent, prompting the school district to hire two outreach workers focused on attendance. At the same time, principals began reviewing attendance data every 10 days in order to flag students in need of extra support.
Kindergarten absenteeism fell by half, according to the report, and early literacy improved.
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